Few people quit a job they love, especially for an industry they scarcely know.

To go through with it, extra helpings of courage are required.

Fortunately, having been a police officer for almost 17 years, Catherine Haward had plenty of it when her father’s ailing health summoned her to the helm of his property business.

Diagnosed two years earlier with Alzheimer’s disease, Clinton Bourke could sadly no longer carry on managing Wheatcroft Land Ltd – the development and investment firm he founded in 1989.

Known for developing schemes such as Derby’s Meteor Centre and neighbouring Morrisons store [hence the naming of Wheatcroft Way at the site], Mr Bourke – a former managing director of Wilson Bowden – had created a legacy in Derby that Catherine, a complete real estate novice, was determined to protect and progress.

As such, she took the decision to resign from Leicestershire Police and become the new – and somewhat nervy – managing director of Wheatcroft Land.

Catherine's first major project is creating a new retail park on this site in Burton Road, Derby

Friends say she was brave but Catherine disagrees.

“More like stupid!” she laughs, as we meet up in Starbucks at Pride Park. “Looking back, I think it was a mixture of bravery, determination and stupidity.”

She adds: “I had worked my way up the ranks in the police and was doing my exams for another promotion. I thought ‘this is me sorted – I will complete a 30-year police career’.

“But when my dad became ill, my strong feeling was I couldn’t let something he had spent years building up just go.

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“He always said he wanted to build the business up into something for the grandkids, should they wish to have it one day. The business was once really successful and I felt I needed to continue that legacy.”

Assuming control was harder than Catherine – who is married with two children, aged 13 and 15 – anticipated. Because lawyers deemed her father unable to make informed decisions, Catherine had to go through a year-long court process to win the right to take over the running of the firm.

Once that right was granted, Catherine set about learning her new trade. And staying true to her policing roots, she decided to do it by the book.

“I embarked on a four-and-a-half year, part-time distance learning degree in real estate management,” she says. “That ends next year and I’m doing that to give me a theoretical knowledge of property, as there’s only so much you can learn on the job.”

Catherine Haward is enjoying her new career as MD of Wheatcroft Land

Catherine accepts becoming a real estate pro won’t happen overnight. As such, she relies on a little bit of help from friends while she gets up to full speed.

“I was fortunate that I’ve got a good friend who works in property in Jonathan Bishop, who was at FHP. I would pick up the phone to him and just say ‘this is the situation, please help me!’

“Soon enough, there were a few other property professionals around me who knew my dad and were happy to help me.”

Keen to get her first big project under her belt, Catherine took a close look at which sites the company owned but remained undeveloped.

One, in particular, really stood out.

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“Burton Road,” she says, referring to the former Mackworth College site between Normanton Road and Burton Road, which, following Catherine’s input, now has planning consent for a 15,000 sq ft Aldi store and seven other retail units.

“The first thing I did was speak to an Aldi agent. He had been leaving messages on dad’s phone and so I rang him back and explained he’d not been well.

“It became apparent that Aldi had a long-term interest in the site, so I arranged to have meetings with their agent and their architect to find a way forward.”

Catherine negotiated the sale of part of the site to Aldi for £1.2 million. Aldi will build their new store, car park and estate road, while Wheatcroft Land will build a parade of retail units totalling 17,000 sq ft.

Due for completion next summer, it will be called College Retail Park.

College Retail Park will be built on a cleared site in Burton Road, Derby

Asked to reveal how she found the planning process, Catherine answers: “Lengthy. From the developer’s perspective, the amount of time it takes is frustrating. You have to be patient.

“I’ve got a planning consultant who’s based in Cardiff. He’s great, so that helps.”

Catherine goes on to speak about her vision for the company – which includes residential schemes, as well as retail.

How College Retail Park is expected to look

As someone who’s smiled a lot in the interview, I suggest she’s enjoying her new career – even if she misses being a policewoman.

“I’ve never regretted my decision to quit the police,” she says. “There’s certain things I miss, particularly the very close-knit community you get within a police force. Going from that to working on your own isn’t an easy transition to make.